OPINION: Back to our big problem — Here’s a 2014 campaign question: What’s your plan to improve Alabama’s poor health stats?
By Bob Davis, The Anniston Star, Ala. | |
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
With that,
Brooke, who in the video looks and sounds like a character from a
Hey, give Brooke credit. He's in a crowded field of Republican hopefuls vying for an open seat in
The whole episode got me to thinking. What if Brooke,
What if we woke up tomorrow morning and -- poof! --Obamacare didn't exist?
A majority of Americans, according to recent polling on the law, would likely be happy. Support for Obamacare is down to 26 percent, according to an Associated Press-GfK survey released Friday. More than 60 percent of Americans disapprove.
Even some health-care experts who are nominal supporters might not be too disappointed if Obamacare went away. In their eyes, the law is a product of
OK, let's say Obamacare is gone. What next?
In
From "The County Health Rankings & Roadmaps" released last week by the
--Years of potential life lost before age 75 per 100,000 population (age-adjusted):
--Adults reporting fair or poor health (age-adjusted):
--Low birthweight:
--Adult smoking:
--Adult obesity:
--Physical inactivity (adults aged 20 and older reporting no leisure-time physical activity):
--Uninsured:
--Children in poverty:
From the
-- Infant mortality rate (deaths per 1,000 live births):
--Children ages 10-17 who are overweight or obese:
--Cancer deaths per 100,000 population:
United State: 172.8
--Adults who have ever been told by a doctor that they have diabetes:
--Life expectancy at birth:
--Deaths due to heart diseases per 100,000 population:
--Adults who visited the dentist or dental clinic within the past year:
--Deaths per 100,000 population caused by influenza and pneumonia:
If you haven't done so already, seeking improvement on these woes belongs on your prayer list. And while we await divine intervention, there are a few things we mortals here in
Which brings us back to those men and women seeking our votes in the 2014 election.
So, Mr. or Ms. Candidate promising to beat back Obamacare, what do you intend to do about the poor health of so many of the Alabamians you wish to represent?
Let's get one thing straight from the outset: There is no law or single policy that improve our plight.
Still, doing nothing isn't an option. A state wrestling with the problems associated with large numbers of unhealthy people will never reach its full economic potential.
We're all in this, including businesses, nonprofits, churches, state and local governments and, of course, at-risk individuals who must begin to make smarter lifestyle choices.
That said, these office-seekers tell us they are leaders. Now would be a great time for them to share their ideas to lower our high rates of infant mortality, low birth weight, smoking and obesity. Give us something to shoot at other than a printed-out copy of Obamacare.
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(c)2014 The Anniston Star (Anniston, Ala.)
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